Carson-- 11 Months

Four short weeks until my baby boy turns 1. I'm feeling a little sad about that. I'm excited, but the first birthday is a hard milestone for me. It feels like such a big shift from babyhood to the toddler years. Carver was so independent by this stage, but Carson has stayed a little more dependent and attached. Maybe that makes this feel harder. Right now he just feels like he is mine, but the older he gets the more and more I will have to share him with others. I'm just feeling selfish and wanting to cling tightly to this phase of his life.

My favorite moments. I will hold tight to these memories.

There have been some changes this last month...

1) FOUR new teeth! All across the top. Teething is really miserable for Cargy, so we were very thankful when they finally broke through and he seemed to find some relief.

This is how Carson feels about the whole teething process.
 I feel the same way, but pictures of me crying are not nearly as cute. 

2) Slowly showing signs of a little independence. Like climbing the stairs (yikes!) and occasionally wandering off to explore or play on his own or with Carver.

3) Foods-- he has finally embraced eating solids. Woohoo! His favorites are bananas and mangoes. We're working on expanding his list of acceptable foods. He loves puffs and vegetable ritz crackers. He likes eating out of the baby food pouches and is great at holding it and feeding himself. He is now up to eating three times a day.

And no, he will not take a bottle or a cup. It's a sore point so let's not talk about it.

4) Sleeping patterns-- no change here. He goes to bed at 7:30 p.m. On a normal night he is up at 10:30, 1:30, and 4:30 or so. Then he goes back to sleep until about 7:30 a.m. Praying that soon this shifts and he starts sleeping through the night. It is starting to make me cranky.

5) I'm not sure about his stats, but I think he weighs around 23 lbs. He is finally gaining weight after his huge drop in percentiles between 6 and 9 months. Hoping he keeps growing steadily. He wears 6-12 or 9 month size clothes, and size 3 diapers.

6) Two words: Dada he has been saying but just last week he said Mama for the first time :)

7) He LOVES his pacifiers.

8) He still prefers sitting on his knees rather than on his bottom. He now "walks" on his knees too.

9) He and Carver have really started to play some together. They both get annoyed with the other (Carver more than Cargy) but in general they seem to really be enjoying each other.

10) He claps, points at things, and waves. Love love love this.

I'm in full party planning mode. I think his first birthday will be super fun. This will be my first time hosting a birthday party actually at our house, so I'm excited about that. The party is tentatively planned for June so that family can be here and I can't wait! Planning birthday parties is one of my very favorite things. SO FUN.

A little preview of the party theme. Party shirts for both boys :)

Sometimes I look at Carson and I just can't believe he is mine. That God saw fit to give him to us even after seeing all the mistakes I have made with Carver. We are beyond blessed by these boys. It makes my heart hurt sometimes-- it feels like it is not big enough to hold all of this love. God knew exactly what I needed when he gave Carson to us. He is the perfect addition and I am humbled and thankful and overwhelmed (in a good way).

Stay tuned, one short month until the BIG birthday blog post and then later the REALLY BIG party post!